Communication and Perception

Right whales make simple and complex low-frequency noises and a "belch-like utterance" that is their most common sound. These low-frequency sounds are chacteristic of balleen whales while high-frequency sounds are more typical of toothed whales. Other sounds are described as grunting, mooing, moaning, sighing, and bellowing. The maximum energy (Hz) recorded in southern right whales ranged from 50-500 and the duration ranged from 0.5 to 6.0 seconds. (Slijper 1979)